Newly appointed Halfmoon town Supervisor Melinda "Mindy" Wormuth poses before the town's Abele Family Park, across from Town Hall Tuesday afternoon march 13, 2007.

Newly appointed Halfmoon town Supervisor Melinda "Mindy" Wormuth poses before the town's Abele Family Park, across from Town Hall Tuesday afternoon march 13, 2007.

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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Town of Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth during the town board meeting on Wednesday Oct. 2, 2013 in Halfmoon, N.Y. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union)

Town of Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth during the town board meeting on Wednesday Oct. 2, 2013 in Halfmoon, N.Y. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union)

Photo: Michael P. Farrell

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Town of Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth at the Fairways of Halfmoon Golf Club during a Republican rally there on Sunday Sept. 25, 2011 in Mechanicville, NY. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union)

Town of Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth at the Fairways of Halfmoon Golf Club during a Republican rally there on Sunday Sept. 25, 2011 in Mechanicville, NY. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union)

Photo: Philip Kamrass

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Town of Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth at the Fairways of Halfmoon Golf Club during a Republican rally there on Sunday Sept. 25, 2011 in Mechanicville, NY. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union)

Town of Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth at the Fairways of Halfmoon Golf Club during a Republican rally there on Sunday Sept. 25, 2011 in Mechanicville, NY. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union)

Photo: Philip Kamrass

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Times Union staff photo by John Carl D'Annibale: Newly appointed Halfmoon town Supervisor, Melinda "Mindy" Wormuth poses before the town's Abele Family Park, across from Town Hall Tuesday afternoon march 13, 2007. FOR HIGGINS STORY less

Times Union staff photo by John Carl D'Annibale: Newly appointed Halfmoon town Supervisor, Melinda "Mindy" Wormuth poses before the town's Abele Family Park, across from Town Hall Tuesday afternoon march 13, ... more

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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Town of Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth at the Fairways of Halfmoon Golf Club during a Republican rally there on Sunday Sept. 25, 2011 in Mechanicville, NY. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union)

Town of Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth at the Fairways of Halfmoon Golf Club during a Republican rally there on Sunday Sept. 25, 2011 in Mechanicville, NY. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union)

Photo: Philip Kamrass

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Wormuth resigns

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Halfmoon

Town Supervisor Melinda Wormuth, who is facing state and federal criminal charges related to alleged political corruption, stepped down Friday from the town leadership position she's held since 2007.

Wormuth's abrupt resignation is not part of a plea agreement in her pending criminal cases, her attorney said.

In a letter dated Tuesday and filed with the town clerk on Friday morning, Wormuth cited undisclosed medical reasons for her decision to quit. She has been on medical leave since Oct. 11, six days before she was arrested by the FBI, and had recently notified town officials that she intended to continue her medical leave at least through Dec. 20.

"There's no assurance she could return then," said E. Stewart Jones, a criminal defense attorney retained by Wormuth. "There was no point in her continuing in that position. The town needs to right itself and move forward without her."

Jones said Wormuth's criminal cases have been put on hold and she has waived speedy trial requirements.

The apparent end of Wormuth's town political career is the culmination of a tumultuous final two years in which she fell from being the leadership face of the town Republican party to a castoff of the party that had staunchly supported her for years. In April, the town Republican Committee, after heated debate in which Wormuth was still supported by many town GOP leaders, voted not to endorse her for supervisor and threw its support to Kevin Tollisen, a former town justice.

The unrest in the Republican Committee boiled over after Wormuth endured a series of public controversies that included selling two residences to a Halfmoon developer, Scott Earl, at sharply above their appraised values. Wormuth also weathered criticism at the county level when she voted to recommend the appointment of the daughter of another Halfmoon developer and campaign contributor, Chris Abele, as the county's animal shelter director.

Two people in the town Republican Committee said the decision to withdraw support for Wormuth was fueled by the committee's fear that a Democratic challenger could win the supervisor's race against Wormuth in a town where Republicans have controlled Town Hall for decades.

The resignation letter signed by Wormuth, which was given to town officials late Thursday, indicated Friday would be Wormuth's final day of employment with the town. Wormuth was also a member of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. Her total annual salary for the two positions was approximately $68,000.

Wormuth, 46, who was a member of the Town Board prior to being appointed supervisor, will receive a state pension but an exact figure was not available Friday from the state comptroller's office.

A federal indictment charges Wormuth with extorting cash payments to lobby two state officials, Sen. Kathy Marchione, a former Halfmoon supervisor and one-time political ally of Wormuth's, and Assemblyman James Tedisco of Glenville. The federal charges accuse Wormuth of accepting $7,500 in cash to write letters on town letterhead to the state legislators urging them to support the legalization of mixed martial arts fighting. She's also charged with lying to FBI agents when she claimed a former town justice told her she could take the payments.

In the state case, Wormuth is charged with stealing $6,250 from her political campaign account between 2009 and last summer. The state charges allege that Wormuth admitted cashing a series of $1,000 checks earlier this year and pocketing the money. Some of the checks were not reported in her campaign filings, according to court records.

When asked by investigators why she took the money, Wormuth allegedly stated "she was 'bitter' about not receiving her political party's endorsement for re-election in November 2013," according to the criminal complaint.

Wormuth's resignation comes as the FBI and the state attorney general's office are continuing their investigation of alleged political corruption in Halfmoon and scrutinizing a series of large donations made to town political funds, according to two people familiar with the matter.

That part of the probe is examining whether donors who have made contributions to town Republican political funds may have been reimbursed by people or companies who do business in Halfmoon or have had contracts with the town.

The decision by Wormuth to step down will end a largely symbolic effort by her four fellow members on the all-Republican Town Board to force Wormuth's removal from office in a court petition they filed Oct. 28.